East Suffolk High's Greatest Minute: Orvel Beamon's 96 yards "Glorious Dash" touchdown run that beat Booker T. Washington (Suffolk) in 1964

Article 26, Volume 3

Orvel "Ollie Lee" Beamon decision to run rather than kick, with 12 seconds left in the game, lead East Suffolk High to an improbable, 6-0 victory

It was Friday, November 7, 1964. The East Suffolk High Wolverines football team was ranked Number One in Division One in the state. Their record was 7-1 (a non-conference loss to Hayden by the score of 9-7). They had allowed only 16 points, scored by two opponents, all season.  Tonight, they are facing their cross-town arch-rival, the mighty Booker T. Washington Bears. A team they were highly favored to beat. The players, however, appeared to be on the edge all week. The coaches, Mack Benn, Jr., Charlie Jones, and the rest of the coaching staff spent the week trying to help keep the players from getting to hype.

Now, it was showtime at Peanut Park. Fred Ballard and Orvel Beamon, ESH's two all-state candidates, appeared upbeat and ready to go at game time.

East Suffolk received the opening kickoff. During their possession, the Wolverines didn't get past their 45-yard line. Subsequently, they kicked to BTW. They received the punt on their 25 and, after 5 plays, made it to their own 48-yard line before they punted the ball back to the Wolverines. That is the way it went most of the game, neither team made a serious threat to score.

The Wolverines received the punt on their 12-yard line with only 58 seconds left in the game. They ran the ball once for 3 yards. Then they had 2 unsuccessful passes. Now, it is 4th and 7 on their 15-yard line with only 12 seconds left in the game. Coach Benn called time out. He instructed the team to punt. Orvel received the snap on the four-yard line but two Bears were in his face hoping to get a safety. Orvel took two steps to the right and avoided two Bears, then he took off running, he shook off one bear on the 25-yard line and another one at the 50-yard line. But he still had two Bears to beat before he would reach the goal line. Eric Brinkley was in hot pursuit. He caught up with Beamon at the one-yard line but Ollie Lee's momentum carried them into the end zone. It was a 96-yard touchdown run. Perhaps the longest run in ESH history! The clock expired! The crowd dashed on the field, They were amazed and excited about what they had just seen. Yes, Ollie Lee's 96 yard TD run will be remembered as the "Glorious Dash".

East Suffolk won 6-0.

That was the final play in East Suffolk Wolverines football history because the school was closed the next school year.

What a way to end a journey. Declared State Champions for the first time in school's history. In 9 games allowed opponents a combined total of fewer than 22 points. 

                                           Copyright 2013. Grady E. Bryant

The most exciting minute in East Suffolk High's Sports Teams history. Do you have a clue?

Article 25, Volume 3

The Greatest Minute in East Suffolk High School's Sports History 

You may have been a witness.You may have heard about it. This one event will live in the mind of the alumni and the school's followers for a long time.  Recently I had a discussion with one of the participants in that great event and his eyes lit up as we discussed the event. He described it as though it happen yesterday. Also, I talked with a witness, and he considers witnessing what happen that night as one of the most joyous moments, as far as watching sports is concerned, in his life.

I sometimes wonder, how many people remember that great moment.  Anything I say will tip you off, so I'll save my answer for now, and reveal it on Saturday, December 2013.

Still, I wonder how many former students have a clue about when, where and what happen.

Do you remember?

                                       Copyright 2013. Grady E. Bryant.

East Suffolk High School Teachers: Remembering the ten most influential teachers in my high school life

Article 27, Volume 3                                                                       September 30, 2013

 Ten high school teachers who influenced my life in one way or another

  

Let me share a little bit about how each teacher had an impact on my life.

Mrs. Evelyn Jackson - Homeroom - She was my first homeroom teacher. In the 8th grade I weighed only 130 pounds, Mrs. Jackson thought I needed some kind of nourishment. I told her that I had eaten all the food I wanted. I was small because I ran a lot.

Anyway, I started drinking more canned milk and taking daily doses of cod liver oil.  By the end of the school year, my weight was up to 170 pounds. I felt so much better.

Miss Helen Spencer - Business Education - Mrs. Spencer didn't allow any foolishness in her classroom. Knowing how to type, was instrumental in the Army's decision to send me to a business school instead of the infantry.  Also, I could start typing my weekly newspaper articles.  The business class gave me some insight into business in the United States. Plus, she was one of the school's top 5 teachers.

Fitz Turner - Football coach - He just hung in there year after year with losing football teams. In my sophomore and junior years, we had winning teams. Despite our teams losing ways, Coach Turner was able to help football players get scholarships or grants-in-aid if they wanted to go to college.

Clara L. Harris -Language Arts - She stressed that language, written and spoken, was a necessity to be successful in life. She loved Shakespeare. She threatened to flunk 80% of my senior class (students in her class) if we did not do our work properly. This threat sent a scare throughout the school. She held her ground and the class really got serious. In the end, I believe everybody passed. Her emphasis on the correct use of the English language really helped me in my life's ventures. She was one of the school's top 5 teachers.

Mack Benn Jr. - Coach -  Simply a winner in virtually everything he touched. The varsity basketball team went from the doormat of the region to regular season champion in three years. He was the defensive coordinator of the football team in my sophomore and junior years. We had one of the best defensive teams in the region. My senior year doesn't count.

In the fall of 1960, he became the head coach of the football team. The team won, I believe, only 2 games. But the best was yet to come. In 1964 the school's team, under his leadership, shared the State Championship.

Ethel W. Joyner - Foreign Language - I studied French in her class. After the first two weeks, I was lost. So, my lesson from her class was Grady you've got to know when to fold them. Get out of that elective class and take a class you can use! Just don't stay in there and suffer. Well, I suffered through the class the whole year. Just didn't comprehend. She gave me a complimentary passing grade, to go along with my A's and B's in my other classes.

In those days we didn't have teachers or counselors to discuss college plans or preparation with. However, I learned in later years that some teachers assisted their favorite students in academic choices.

Within 9 months after graduation, the Army assigned me to France. I was able to pick it up, somewhat, from the French people. Well, enough to get by.

Edgar T. Rawles -Agriculture Education - Mr. Rawles taught us a lot about being men and standing up for ourselves. He was a dedicated teacher. Also, he was my seventh-grade teacher. The first male teacher I had in my life.

Lowell W. Turner - Principal - He communicated with the teachers and students in a very favorable manner. Also, under his leadership, hundreds of future leaders, in many categories, graduated. Now, looking back, he took a lot of flack, from various sources regarding the school. Despite it all, he stayed positive, and successfully led the school for 26 years.

Thelma T. Norfleet - Homeroom teacher - She was like a mother away from home. Mrs. Norfleet took an interest in the welfare of all her homeroom students.

Ben Davis - Baseball Coach - He was a terrific coach. He taught us values beyond the game of baseball.
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Well, I could name a few more, but I have to stop here.  Which one do I consider the most influential in my life? Kind of hard to say, because I learned different things from each one.

June 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in Suffolk, VA at Peanut Park

Article 27, Volume 3                                                                           August 28, 2013

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  addressed an estimated crowd of 7,500 at Peanut Park

Exactly two months before Dr. King's famous speech in Washington, D.C., he revised his schedule so he could speak in Suffolk at a statewide rally of  the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The rally was at Peanut Park on June 28, 1963.  .

It was not an easy task to get Dr. King to speak at events.  He was in demand all over the country as well as other countries.  However, Moses Riddick, head of the Independent Voters League in Suffolk and two other organizations combined there resources and made it possible for Dr. King's visit.

There was excitement through out the region when it was announced that Dr. King was coming to Suffolk.

Juliette Porter, my neighbor in Pleasant Hill, a rising senior in high school in 1963, recently shared how excited she became when she heard the news. Also, Van Harris, who was about 10 years old, told about how her grandmother took her to the park that night and somehow managed to get her a front row standing spot in the crowd.

Ms. Harris said that her grandmother, Ms. Winnie (sorry, don't know her last name) from Saratogo told her that Dr. King was going to be famous and go down in history.  Her grandma prediction was correct.

It was a big thing at that time in history in Suffolk.  Voting rights were restricted so much that it was virtually impossible for most of the Afro-Americans to vote; schools were segregated; blacks were unable to get office jobs; minimum wage pay was about $1 an hour; teachers were making about $3,500 a year and the housing for the poor was terrible. The list goes on and on.

Dr. King's speech that night was inspiring and gave hope of a better future to thousands.

Before the event, the Ledger Star newspaper writer predicted a crowd of 5,000 would be present.  However, after the event another publication estimated that about 7,500 persons were present. The attendance represented, I believe, the largest gathering of Afro-Americans at a single event in Suffolk's history.

1963 was not an ordinary year in the Civil Rights fight. For example the following actions were taken by haters to stop or impede the Civil Rights Movement: 

      *   In May 1963 dogs and fire hoses were used on demonstrators in Birmingham, Alabama

      *  On June 6, 1963, Medgar Evers was assassinated in Mississippi 

      *  On September 15, 1963, four girls were killed by a bomb at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church           in Birmingham, Alabama on a Sunday morning. Many others were injured.

Considering Dr. King's visit, I'm reminded of a passage of Scripture where Jesus stated that he must go through Samaria because there was a special need for him there. He went through Samaria and great things occurred.

In comparison, Dr. King had a full schedule, but he decided that he must go through Suffolk because there was a lot of work to be done there.  

Looking back, we are so happy that he came through Suffolk on June 28, 1963, exactly two months before his historic "I had a dream" speech in Washington, D. C.on August 28, 1963.

Were you there?.

In preparing this story, there was one thing that caught my attention about the Ledger Star newspaper article of Dr. King's visit. The article gave in detail a description of virtually all his planned moves, locations, mode of travel and time for arrival. This disclosure was too much. Looking back, this revelation  may have been how the KKK and other hate groups were able to keep track of the where about of civil rights leaders. I mean, think about it.

Information and pictures of Dr. King's visit to Suffolk can be found by google:

 
Dr. Marting Luther King Jr visit to Suffolk in 1963

 
Also, there is another website with information about Dr. King's visit.

                Copyright 2013. Grady E. Bryant, Sr.   

                                                            

Frank Kahan Sr, father of two East Suffolk High graduates, passed away on August 9, 2013 in Suffolk, Virginia

Article 25, Volume 3                                                                                 August 13, 2013

                                                Death Notice: Frank Kahan, Sr.

Frank Kahan Sr, died on Friday, August 9, 2013 in Suffolk, Virginia. He was a native of Dunnellon, Florida. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sophia Lee Kahan and his son, Eugene Scott.

Mr. Kahan was a U. S. Army veteran. He served in Italy during World War II.

In civilian life, he was a professional carpenter.

Remaining to rejoice in Mr. Kahan memory are his four sons: Frank Jr., Vernell, Connell and Reginald and five daughter-in-laws. Also, a host of other relatives and friends.

All of his sons graduated from East Suffolk High (ESH) or another public high school in Suffolk, Va.

Frank Jr is the immediate past president of the East Suffolk High School Alumni Association. He graduated in 1965 from ESH in its final graduating class.

His son, the late Eugene Scott was a 1956 graduate of East Suffolk High.  Eugene was a talented end in football and pitcher in baseball. He ranks, - in the opinion of one and perhaps most - in the  top 25 athletes to participate in sports for East Suffolk High in its 26 year history.

A funeral service for Mr. Kahan is planned for  l:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 14, 2013 at Mt. Ararat Christian Church.

Afterward, the family will receive friends at 2045 Meadow Country Road.



You can contact Crocker Funeral Home in Suffolk, Virginia for more details.

We express our sympathy to the Kahan Family.

                          Copyright 2013 Grady E. Bryant, Sr. All rights reserved.